Following the resurfacing of Oak Lane last week several local residents are annoyed that the speed bumps have been removed.
Liz Parris of Oak Lane explained "We were not informed of this when notified of the resurfacing last week, nor were we consulted on the issue at any time.
"We are already a rat run from Altrincham Road with speeding cars and well used by children traveling to and from all the local schools (four primaries and the High School)."
Liz added "Apparently consultation papers are being drawn up now for all the residents as to whether we want the bumps replaced or not but it seems a very backward way of doing things and cannot be the most cost efficient way of doing things."
Richard Parris commented "As a doctor working in an Accident and Emergency Department, I find it incredible that a proven road safety measure has been removed by the Council from a road used by so many school children.
"It is also sad that the Council have done this without consultation with local residents and at a time when so many people are actively campaigning to make Wilmslow's roads safer through the Twenty is Plenty campaign."
Councillor Rod Menlove, Cabinet member in charge of the environment, said: "Residents are getting every opportunity to have their say on this matter and have been issued with a consultation questionnaire, asking if they would like the speed humps to be reinstated or removed completely.
"It is the normal working method to remove all traffic calming features before any re-surfacing work is to take place. Residents are being asked to respond to the questionnaire by Friday, November 2.
"The humps were initially installed over 10 years ago by the former Cheshire County Council as an environmental traffic calming feature, and not as a result of collisions occurring on the road."
What do you think about the speed bumps being removed from Oak Lane? Would you like to see them replaced? Share your view via the comment box below.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
Either state that they want to reinstate traffic calming measures
or
Full removal of all traffic calming measures.
What about chicanes, rumble surfaces, mixed pedestrian/car/cycle areas instead? Or perhaps the best answer of all; no humps but a 20mph speed limit enforced by automatic electronic on-line cameras? Exceed 20, and a speeding ticket with a fine and points drops onto your door mat!
Over the years the vertical displacement features ie humps and platforms, have been patched up but the statutory white markings allowed to deteriorate.
When planned humps for Buckingham Road were finally rejected by MBC about 10 yrs ago, partly on cost, vibration and delays for emergency service vehicles, it coincided with a national objection to blanket traffic calming measures such as humps and about half of Oak Lane residents wanted their measures to be removed.
Oak Lane is one of the access roads (inc Buckingham Rd & Bourne St) for the residents bounded by Moor La, Cumber La & Gravel La to access Altrincham Rd & M56.
Oak La is not a ‘rat run’, a term better applied to Bedells La & Hawthorn St.
Oak La does not qualify IMO for traffic calming, based on pedestrian accident statistics, so I would not like to see the humps and junction platforms re-instated.
I think it is important to know that there is national guidance as issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence that supports traffic calming measures including speed humps as a cost effective measure for reducing injury to children and that trauma including road accidents continues to be the leading cause of death in school children. There is also a map available through searching on Google using the terms map road deaths that graphically summarises the number of deaths on Wilmslow's roads over the last 10 years. Oak Lane and the surrounding roads are used by many school children and it is ironic that the Council have removed the traffic calming measures at the same time as trying to encourage more school children to walk to school.
The Council are being rather disingenuous about the Consultation process - it was only in response to telephone calls from concerned residents that they have sent out the rather limited questionnaire. I suspect that they wouldn't have consulted us if we hadn't raised our concerns.
I would support traffic calming measures for the whole of Wilmslow let alone just Oak Lane and I am glad to support the Twenty's Plenty campaign. It seems as if we are not prioritising the safety of children and adults sufficiently. As a resident of Oak Lane, I have already noticed an increase in the speed of cars coming down the road.
Does this guidance include pot injury costs sustained by child or adult passengers in traffic calmed areas? Googling 'NICE traffic calming/road humps' does not find such report in Top 10 results so please provide a link.
Yes CEC may be disengenuous in restricting it's questionnaire to Oak La residents only, as it affects a much wider number of 'local' residents with a voice.
If speeds have increased, residents are able to request future siting of the mobile SID, paid for by WTC. to confirm currenr recorded speed ranges.
One option to block vehicle access between Oak La and Racecourse Rd, thus Oak La becomes a cul-de-sac of Noor La. Those in faviur?
You appear to forget that Northward Road comes off Oak Lane before Racecourse Road and would therefore become a default access to Buckingham Road/Altrincham Road should Oak Lane be stopped up. Northward road is even more unsuitable for traffic increases due to its width.
Surely it is better to spread the traffic across more roads but at the same time introduce suitable measures to reduce the speeds (quite possibly not blanket humps).
While I agree that it appears that the consultation may be an afterthought I do not agree that it should be a matter for a much wider discussion. Yes, this is a matter which will concern and affect the local residents. However there are a number of alternative routes for people who live along Moor Lane etc to access Altrincham Road, and they are free to choose which route to drive, the residents of Oak Lane do not have that choice, many of whom moved here knowing there were speed reduction measures in place.
The default situation should be replacement (in one form or another) of the calming measures. Now asking residents to justify why they should be reinstated is plain wrong, surely the argument should be 'do they need to be retained?' It is much harder to get something back once its gone.
I hope this is of use.